Real Estate Lingo of Agents
When you are a Qualifying Broker, like I am for my company, The Associates Realty Group inc. , you have to recruit agents, after a while you get to understand what the agents are really saying to you when you call them for example:
Can’t talk now I’m showing my listing = the agent is on a home tour and is showing other agents that have time to go on tours
Can’t talk now I’m working on my files = can’t find anything to do so I’m cleaning my desk
Can’t talk now I’m holding open house = I’m hoping and praying that someone will come by
Can’t talk now I’m with someone = agent is interviewing for a job at Jc penny or picking up kids cause wife has a real job
Can’t talk now I’m taking a listing = finally decided he has to put his own house on market
Can’t talk now I’m working on my designation = has to short sale his own house, learning how to do short sales
Can’t talk now I’m marketing my listings = posting them on Internet, facebook, craiglist
Can’t talk now I’m doing lead follow up = buying leads from a Internet lead source @ $50 a pop
Can’t talk now I’m prospecting = calling paid for leads only to find out they originally called on his listing, should’ve returned the calls or answered the phone
Or you see them advertise such things as:
“Short sale specialist “= I work crap listings
“green home specialist” = I know everything about homes accept how to sell them
“relocation expert” = I don’t know how to list properties
“Internet marketing expert” = I play on computer all day
“CRS, GRI, after name” = I have a huge ego so I need letters after my name
It’s amazing to see agents leave a training class or seminar break and almost all of them immediately get on their phones to take care of business, they haven’t sold a house all year but they somehow have to return calls immediately.
I don’t know about other brokers but it amazes me how agents that havn’t sold over ten homes in their career much less in a year can demand 90% splits and a private office, and they don’t seem to ever pay any monthly fees at their current office, and they all seem to make 100k a year on the two homes they sold that show up in the mls. If you ask them about the production you found, they all say they were new construction or other non mls sales! Wow that reminds me of the guy in high school who always had a really hot girlfriend in another state?!
Anyway if the agents aren’t honest with themselves, how can you expect them to be honest with you or clients? Someone wise once told me ” if someone lies about the small stuff he will lie about the big things that really matter, something to think about.